Satellite mining maps for 34 mine areas

As a part of its endeavour to rein in illegal mining operations, the state steel & mines department has prepared satellite mining maps of 34 mine lease areas in mineral rich Keonjhar district. The department is also through with the process of field verification of these mining leases.

"We have prepared satellite mining maps of 34 mining lease areas in Keonjhar district. Field verification has also been done recently for these areas and as such no illegal mining operations have been detected. We will shortly prepare similar maps for Koira in Sundergarh district and mining leases in Jajpur district”, said a highly placed official source.

 

Global Positioning System (GPS) is being used for mapping of the different mining areas in the state. The survey of the mining areas is taken up by the concerned officials of the department of steel and mines as well as geology.

Besides, it has been decided to draw the boundaries of all the mining lease areas to ensure that a lessee cannot encroach the lease areas of other player.

The mining maps and the digital records of the mining areas will enable the state steel and mines department to know if a miner is illegally carrying out mining operations on forest land without the clearance of the Union ministry of environment and forests.To check the transport of illegally mined ore, the department has issued transit passes to the truckers.